East coastway is a decent route for tsw2020, however almost 3 years down the line, it feels very outdated and bland, especially when we have London commuter and the upgraded sehs, now it is just a short route with the same stock available on other routes, however it can be improved, and made from something boring and outdated, to something new and fun. Part 1: the extention. Currently, the line extends from brighton, also avalable on london commuter, to eastbourne, only around 20 miles, as well as the 10 mile seaford branch, only around 30 miles. However, adding on an extra 50 miles to Ashford, would make this route much more enjoyable, especially with sehs now going to Ashford, this could make for some really nice connections between sehs and ecw Part 2: the stock In terms of stock, ecw feels kind of bland, compared to other routes there are far better choices, however here are some ideas on how to improve that aspect. Add A.I services, layer the London commuter services at brighton, including thr class 387s, 166s and potentially A.I Thameslink services if they ever come in the future, also add updated AP sounds to the ecw class 377. For new stock, the class 171 turbostar would be the best choice, as they run to Ashford, while 377s only run to Hastings, ore and Eastbourne. Part 3: conclusion While right now the route isnt the best, it can be improved with a few aditions, which add much more variety and replayability.
ECW and GWE were built a long time ago now and using old techniques. Both could seriously do with being reworked to TSW3 standards. This would vastly improve gameplay on both routes which at this point seem very lacking in several aspects. Although I enjoy SEHS, I am surprised that this route was singled out for the rework it received when this older pair seem somewhat neglected by comparison. I hope one day that DTG will get a team to give them both a little tlc.
Well said. As a new player to the TSW series, I avoided this route because it's short and doesn't offer much. It has only half the length of London Commuter, at the same price (MS Store).
If we did that, any chance of an extension to Haywards Heath so that FINALLY we can have Cooksbridge and Plumpton added? Plus this will allow us to have 1Fxx services running to Eastbourne
Great suggestion, TBH, I'm kinda surprised you didn't make it sooner! Would love to see this in the game too!
There are far better lines to make than this one, which is all one train and only two stopping patterns with low frequency.
Correct and that can also explain why ECW has the 2C96 service that was combined with an Ore service via Eastbourne 1F96
We've probably had this argument before, but I don't think it would be all that bad. As an expansion to East Coastway/London Commuter, it would allow full duration Hastings to Brighton/London Victoria services, Eastbourne to Ashford services using a different type of traction, and near complete AI services layered from SEHS at Hastings and Ashford. Add in some RHTT and Nuclear Flask traffic (maybe some railtours and light engine runs too) and you've got a fairly comprehensive route with a good variety of gameplay. Though as I have mentioned elsewhere it might be best made as some sort of merged super-network included with a new iteration of the base game, similar to the new SEHS, as to avoid needing to own the original as an extension (rather as a route upgrade).
Good idea, would love a Turbostar in game as you would know , on ECW as well, a well needed route extension as well
Yeah we probably have yes we could drive Hastings - Brighton, but for me this would be "yet more electrostar blandness" to many people Eastbourne to Ashford I would refer back to my comment above. Far "better" places for the turbostar to be used for my taste, the use on this line is too little and too samey for me to want to pay for it. Give me a Northern or XC 170 and I'm there AI at Ashford doesn't rock my world, again it's all the same stuff. Same with Hastings. Because it's on the Southern / SouthEastern border and they use the same (basic) traction there's no differentiation. It's all big blue or green boxes. If it was Southampton or Portsmouth (so Southern and SWR/XC) that would be different, but there's little difference externally between a 375 and 377 So overall, for me, I would well prefer to head WEST from Brighton rather than East from Eastbourne so we at least head to something new rather than paying again for more of the same
You do realise that not everyone shares this view of "yet more electrostar blandness" I hope! Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and this should be accounted for. Otherwise, it would be extremely unfair not to have any more routes say, just around the Electrostar for example, just because some don't like... So, I would say I'd welcome a full ECW route between Hastings/Ore and Brighton - and I'm sure there are quite a few others who would like that too...
Absolutely, so those people who like things other than the three electrostars we have in game should also be accounted for, given the people that like electrostars are already catered for somewhat. I have no issues with electrostars, but I would also like a wide and varied rolling stock library giving options to drive across the country rather than limiting my train driving experience to Surrey, Sussex and Kent Maybe they could do the electrostars on the Great Western, or on C2C, or out of Kings Cross... that way the "Electrostar officionados" could have more electrostars and other people can get something new for a change
Yeah I agree that TSW does need a wide and varied library of content over the long-term, especially to cater for differing tastes which is absolutely right of course. But, at the same time, I'd also like to return to existing routes/rolling stock we have already so that these can be expanded on too to create more of a wider network to boost immersion, whether that be Southern Electrostars, GWR or WMR content etc. Basically, my point is that I know not everyone enjoys Electrostars but, at the same time, there still are people who do believe it or not, thus I hope more such routes like that continue (balanced fairly alongside routes/locos from elsewhere, of course) - and those who don't like such routes don't have to play them...
Which is why my last line listed places outside of Kent and Sussex where they're used and can be "built upon" rather than limiting ourselves to things which add a few miles more with no real expansion (Marshlink doesn't actually lead anywhere and is effectively a shuttle)
I believe that we should be perfecting previous routes before expanding. It’s such a shame to see stuff left.
Hmm, actually I'd disagree. As more routes come to TSW, in the long-term, I would like to see more mileage even if it meant no new rolling stock DLC that came with it - purely just as a network expansion i.e. more routes with the same TOC etc. The expansion itself would be the new route and more track to drive. I'm not sure how popular that would be, though I'd like to think that would be considered as this is supposed to be a simulator. To further add to this, I'd rather have some new, longer routes if it meant no new loco as a compromise.
You'd have to define "perfect" in this instance. To me "perfect" would be every train running to the real life timetable on a well represented route with all assets and stock in place. Of course this would limit all future routes that interact with that timetable to a specific point in time else you'd end up with messy timetables...
Other than a very few points in the country (Kent and Cornwall being two examples) I can't think of any routes in the UK which don't have some overlap of train companies, which would require new assets to produce the route well. Take the recent BCC as an example. The southern end route has TfL and XC trains running on the route IRL, neither of which are in game, and of course New Street has Avanti and LNWR almost constantly in the station... It is a game - simulator, yes. But people also want to be able to treat it somewhat like a model railway, in that they can put all sorts of traction in game and play with it. Whilst many people want more routes, they also want more trains to play with! Personally I think DTG would have been better off making BML, South London then linking up with the SWR rather then the SEHS, but people want high speed and HS1 is the easiest route to make like that in the UK given only two trains run on it IRL So you want longer routes with one train? I presume you mean an intercity type route with intercity type trains, but lets look at what that means. You set off from (let's say) Euston and drive to Birmingham, the most you'll stop at is Milton Keynes. SO you have all that track mileage, with IRL hundreds of trains a day, but in game you basically apply power, set the speed limiter and then twenty minutes later you apply the brakes and open the doors...? Not sure where the actual gameplay is in that scenario
Hmm "yet more Electrostar blandness"... What people would call bland is personal preference and I would probably find a lot of other trains to be dull, but it is not something I would express upon someone's route suggestion. Though, that is mostly down to not knowing too many trains as I am not any kind of rail enthusiast. TSW 3 and even TSC are something nice to play whilst listening to an audiobook or podcast. I imagine a lot of people will suggest what is local to them and what they are used to seeing or using iRL and would love to play it on TSW 3 or even TSC to see what it would be like. I live on a line with 375s and near another with 377s, and the only variant I see to those is a 170 and an ever-rarer 465 further up the line towards London. What I can suggest is based on what I know would be... - Hastings to London Charing Cross (complete and not stopping at Tonbridge) - The Marshlink Line - The missing half of East Coastway - Parts of the Chatham Mainline are yet to be included - London Underground - Brighton to Portsmouth and Southampton - Eurostar Yes, it is pretty much a sea of Electrostars, but the player base is not limited to the Southeast corner of England. It is down to others to suggest other places and routes rather than wasting time criticizing what they don't want whilst including the word "everyone" as if they were the voice of the community.
I would love to see all of these route/extensions in the game. Personally, I don't mind electrostars but a bit of variety in rolling stock would be good. For example, a Class 170 for east Coastway, etc...
Not exactly like that, sorry I should have elaborated further. I'd only like longer routes with one train under a set of specific circumstances. For instance, if we get to a point where, on TSW, we have had a couple of routes with the same TOC, say Govia Thameslink (i.e. Southern with East Coastway and London Commuter) and a lot of the rolling stock already exists in-game, what does that mean for more, new routes in the future involving this specific TOC in the same era? What is the selling point you ask? Well, say the West Coastway for example set in the present day. We have the 377 and 313 already, so surely the selling point of a new route like this would have be to make it a longer route regarding track mileage than if the route had come with one or multiple brand-new locos. To elaborate, imagine if WCW had been a new route today, and that London Commuter/ECW had never existed and thus never came to TSW - in theory, the WCW route would come with two brand-new locos and go from Brighton to say Bognor or Littlehampton. Conversely, now if we return back to reality (i.e. that LC and ECW do already exist in TSW), WCW would come with no new locos - but the selling point of this new route is that it should be longer, to say as far as Portsmouth or even Southampton, then add in extra traffic to the timetable from GWR etc. I know this is purely hypothetical, but is good to have a debate about such topics.
Exactly, The WCW heads to Portsmouth and Southampton so would lead to SWR and a few new assets, the class 166 and formerly the 158 ran the route so depending on when you set it you'd see those assets. Once you have SWR and the 158 you can populate up towards Exeter, Bristol, Waterloo... so NOT just more green or blue electrostars (ie what I was getting at in the first place) The Marshlink literally only adds the 171 as a shuttle and a slight extension to Ore and Hastings. If they were to build a substantial electrostar 3rd rail route make it the Kent Mainline or the Kent Coast network. Link up Faversham and Ashford via Ramsgate (with the depot) and the two Canterbury routes. Shove in a couple of steam specials via Chatham and Ashford and you'd have a decent network Or go the other way... Make the entire North Kent Lines system - 3 lines, splitting West of Dartford with multiple operational patterns, freight to Angerstein Wharf and a different Electrostar in the 376 (which can also be used to Orpington later on). No 375s or 377s until Millwall, but a ton of 465, 466, 376, 707, 700... And that's just Kent. So yeah, there's loads of opportunity for "not boring just electrostar again" and certainly better (in my view) than a shuttle service to Ashford with about 18 trains a day each way
If I may ask if DTG ever modernise GWE and ECW would it be better to change the era and redo the whole thing than fixing up minor tweaks. As I think if this extension was done it should be a complete overhaul of the route and if I'm correct haven't the class 313s been replaced from the route irl (if so rip to the legends).
They were running on WCW out of Bognor in November and haven't seen any "last of the 313" vids so I'm presuming they're still going The 315s were recently retired, so maybe that's what you're thinking of?
Just checked yeah it was the 315s I was thinking about (rip) but the 313 are getting withdrawn at southern 2023 may timetable change.
